ABSTRACT
In the Indian subcontinent, the use of ‘pan’ (a combination of betel nut, areca nut, lime and tobacco) as well as reverse smoking (smoking a cheroot with the burning end inside the mouth) are responsible for the high incidence of oropharyngeal cancer. Betel quid appears to be the major carcinogen, although there is also a relationship between slaked lime and the areca nut and cancer.
